Top Rank set 10 ESPN dates for 2018 following successful 2017

Ringside 17/01/2018

Top Rank on ESPN has racked up banner results in its 2017 debut. The series kicked off July 1, 2017 with the memorable live telecast of the “Battle of Brisbane,” Manny “Pac Man” Pacquiao’s first non-PPV fight since September, 2005.

The Pacquiao vs. Jeff Horn battle for the WBO World Welterweight Championship fight ranks as the highest-rated and most-watched boxing telecast on cable television since 2006 and ESPN’s highest-rated boxing telecast since 1995.

Top Rank on ESPN Top Things to Know in 2017Viewers are tuning in in large numbers with the series earning the most-viewed fights of 2017:Top Rank on ESPN in primetime averaged 1,575,000 viewers on ESPN and 95,000 on ESPN DeportesThe twelve most-viewed fights on cable in 2017 have been Top Rank on ESPN fights

Hispanics are big fans and have made the series the top Hispanic telecast on 71% of fight days:55% of the Top Rank on ESPN audience on ESPN and ESPN2 has been multicultural (one and half times the ESPN average)In the average minute, about 377,000 Hispanic viewers are tuning into Top Rank on ESPN across ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN DeportesTop Rank on ESPN has been the #1 Hispanic telecast of the day on ESPN for five of the seven primetime fights that aired in 2017

Digital consumption of ESPN’s boxing content has skyrocketed:Since the start of July, daily unique visitors to boxing digital content is up 225% compared to the same period in 2016

“2017 was a landmark year for boxing on ESPN,” said ESPN executive vice president of programming and scheduling Burke Magnus. “We are thrilled and excited to have served as home to some of the best boxing events in 2017 and look forward to continuing to work with Top Rank to showcase these great events across all our platforms in 2018 and beyond.”

Other Major Top Rank on ESPN Things to Note in 2017Top Rank on ESPN aired eight world title fights. Here’s the list:

ESPN had the top twelve boxing matches on cable television in 2017. Here’s the list:

Network

Date

Fight

Viewers

ESPN

7/01/2017

Manny Pacquiao/Jeff Horn

3,925,000

ESPN

7/01/2017

Jerwin Ancajas/Teiru Kinoshita

2,234,000

ESPN

12/09/2017

Vasiliy Lomachenko/Guillermo Rigondeaux

2,114,000

ESPN

7/01/2017

Michael Conlan/Jarrett Owen

1,867,000

ESPN

11/11/2017

Artur Beterbiev/Enrico Koelling

1,725,000

ESPN

12/09/2017

Shakur Stevenson/Oscar Mendoza

1,687,000

ESPN

12/09/2017

Chris Diaz/Bryant Cruz

1,647,000

ESPN

12/09/2017

Michael Conlan/Luis Fernando Molina

1,635,000

ESPN

8/19/2017

Terence Crawford/Julius Indongo

1,327,000

ESPN

11/11/2017

José Ramírez/Mike Reed

1,182,000

ESPN

7/01/2017

Shane Mosley Jr./David Touissaint

1,177,000

ESPN

8/19/2017

Oleksandr Gvozdyk/Craig Baker

968,000

*Fights refer to each single fight in the ring

Top Rank & ESPN have confirmed fight dates for the first seven months of 2018 (schedule below), with potentially more to be added. Boxing fans can expect a world-class lineup of fighters, including Mexico’s super middleweight champion Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramírez on February 3rd, Ray Beltrán on February 16th, undefeated World Boxing Organization (WBO) featherweight world champion Óscar Valdez on March 10, and Irish Olympian Michael Conlan on St. Patrick’s Day. Also returning to the Top Rank ring in 2018 will be world champions and pound-for-pound mega-stars Terence Crawford and Vasiliy Lomachenko.

Top Rank on ESPN kicks off its 2018 season on Super Bowl LII weekend on Saturday, February 3 at 10:15 p.m. ET. Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez (36-0, 24 KOs) will defend his WBO world title against Top-Five world-rated contender Habib “Wild Hurricane” Ahmed (22-0, 17 KOs) from Accra, Ghana. The fight will take place at the American Bank Center in Corpus Christi, TX and will be televised live and exclusively on ESPN and ESPN Deportes and stream live on the ESPN app.